A commissioner of health services, such as an Integrated Care Board (ICB) or a local authority, may award contracts to a range of service providers. These providers can include organisations from the independent sector known as Independent Sector Healthcare Providers (ISHPs).
Some services procured through a contract with an ISHP may use FP10 prescription forms to supply medicines and appliances to patients.
Where a service uses FP10s, the commissioner will be responsible for the cost of the prescriptions. But they can agree with the provider that the provider will manage the costs within the contract. For example, most NHS Foundation Trusts meet prescription costs as part of the service for the commissioner.
More information on FP10 prescription forms
Where the commissioner prefers to manage the prescription costs directly, the provider will be added as a cost centre on our systems, with the commissioner as its ‘parent organisation’. In this case, the commissioner will be required to request a new cost centre code together with notifications relating to the prescribers within the new cost centre.
Where it has been decided that an ISHP is responsible for the costs, and will become the ‘parent organisation’ of one or more cost centres, the ISHP will assign prescribers to these cost centres to enable it to monitor prescribing activity and charge back the cost of the prescriptions to the commissioner as necessary.
ISHPs such as Social Enterprises or Community Interest Companies are issued with a 5-digit organisation code from the Organisational Data Service (ODS).
If the ISHP has not been issued with a code or is unsure of their code, they should contact the ODS on their National Helpdesk Exeter by:
Telephone: 01392 251289
Email: exeter.helpdesk@nhs.net.
The following procedures only relate to ISHP services that intend to issue FP10 prescriptions that will be dispensed in the community. These forms are processed by NHS Prescription Services and ultimately recharged to the ISHP. The subsequent prescribing information will be available on ePACT.
Register for ePACT
If you have any queries on ePACT, contact our Data Services team by:
Email: dataservicessupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
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To add an ISHP as a 'parent organisation' to NHS Prescription Services’ organisational database, we require:
All completed documentation should be sent via email to prescriptioninformation@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.
We'll contact the ISHP direct if there are any anomalies in the information provided or if additional information is required.
Once actioned, the organisational database team will contact the senior authorised signatory in the ISHP with confirmation of completion. They will also send the details of the new organisation and the senior authorised signatory contact details to Xerox (UK) Ltd (prescription printing company).
Prescription pads are ordered from Xerox (UK) Ltd using the Xerox (UK) Ltd ordering procedure.
Notify us about changes
Find the most up-to-date information and forms relevant to your organisation or prescriber type.
If a query arises as a result of the information submitted to us, an email will be sent to the original sender of the notification. No changes can be made to our systems until we receive a satisfactory response to the query.
More complex queries can be discussed by telephone, but must always be followed up with written confirmation of the action agreed.
Changes to existing ISHP cost centres or prescribers
Notify us of any additions, deletions or changes to organisational and prescriber data by sending notification forms to prescriptioninformation@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.
Only notifications submitted by authorised signatories will be accepted. The senior authorised signatory within the ISHP will be responsible for authorising other signatories.
Notifications sent by individuals who are not nominated authorised signatories for the ISHP will not be accepted.
If you need to change any organisational or prescriber data held by us for the ISHP, contact an authorised signatory within the ISHP who will be able to submit this on your behalf.
Cost centres within an ISHP
An authorised signatory at the ISHP must advise NHS Prescription Services of any additions/deletions or changes to cost centre information, such as change of address, by using one of the relevant proformas listed.
The ISHP must advise us when a cost centre is formed as the result of:
- merging 2 or more cost centres
- splitting a cost centre into 2 or more cost centres
- a brand new cost centre opening, such as Non-Medical Prescribers, in conjunction with a completed provider authorisation form (Excel: 62KB) from a commissioning organisation
Use the form: New cost centre within an ISHP (Excel: 58KB)
A new cost centre can only be set up on our systems if either a named doctor, a generically named spurious code or one or more non-medical prescribers are also added at the same time. Therefore, you must also complete and send the relevant prescriber notification forms together with the notification of a new cost centre form.
Once actioned, the authorised signatory will be notified by email of the new cost centre code and where applicable, any spurious codes.
Following confirmation of the cost centre code and where applicable, any spurious codes, the ISHP will be able to order personalised prescription pads from Xerox (UK) Ltd in respect of the new prescribers within the cost centre using the Xerox (UK) Ltd ordering procedure.
Change of cost centre details
For changes to cost centre code information, such as change of address, use the change of cost centre details form (Excel: 59KB)
The new or updated information will be sent to Xerox (UK) Ltd and any replacement pads will bear the new or updated information, where applicable.
Closure of a cost centre
When a cost centre has closed, complete the Closure of a Cost Centre form (Excel: 58KB)
The completed forms should then be emailed to prescriptioninformation@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.
If the ISHP does not supply information to us in a timely manner, prescription costs may be attributed to an incorrect organisation.
GPs or medical prescribers within an ISHP
Where a cost centre has been created to monitor prescribing at individual level, an authorised signatory at the ISHP must advise us of any changes to doctor information, such as change of surname, by using one of the relevant forms listed:
Doctor joining a cost centre (Excel: 65KB)Change of doctor details (Excel: 57KB)Doctor leaving a cost centre (Excel: 55KB)
Note that if a doctor has been suspended, you should indicate this in the relevant section of the form and provide the date of when the suspension began. If the doctor leaves following suspension a further leaver form will need to be provided.
Spurious codes
Spurious doctor codes are issued to ISHPs:
- for a hospital doctor who does not have a DIN Code
- as an additional prescribing code for a GP working in more than one practice / cost centre, in order to monitor prescribing in each practice / cost centre
- as a generic prescribing code where prescribing data is not required at individual prescriber level.
A spurious code will only be issued to a GP whose DIN code is already in use at another practice / cost centre or for hospital doctors who are not issued with a DIN code.
Locum doctors should use the prescribing code of the doctor for whom they're providing locum services.
If a spurious code is required, complete the following form:Spurious code request (Excel: 58KB)
If a spurious code has ended or is leaving a cost centre, complete the following form:Spurious code leaving a GP practice or cost centre (Excel: 54KB)
For change of details of a spurious code, complete the following form:Change of spurious code details (Excel: 55KB)
Completed forms should then be emailed to prescriptioninformation@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.
Once actioned, the new or updated information will be sent to Xerox (UK) Ltd and any replacement pads will bear the new or updated information, where applicable.
Where a spurious code has been requested, the authorised signatory will be notified by email of the new codes.
Following confirmation of the new codes, the ISHP will be able to order personalised prescription pads from Xerox (UK) Ltd in respect of the new spurious code details using the Xerox (UK) Ltd ordering procedure.
If the ISHP does not supply information to us in a timely manner, prescription costs may be attributed to an incorrect organisation.
Non-medical prescribers within an ISHP cost centre
An authorised signatory at the ISHP must advise us of any changes to non-medical prescriber (NMP) information, such as additions, deletions or change of surname, by using one of the relevant forms listed:Non-medical prescriber joining a GP practice or cost centre (Excel: 53KB)Non-medical prescriber leaving a GP practice or cost centre (Excel: 55KB)Change of non-medical prescriber details (Excel: 60KB)
The completed forms should then be emailed to prescriptioninformation@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.
Once actioned, the new or updated information will be sent to Xerox (UK) Ltd and any replacement pads will bear the new or updated information, where applicable. Personalised prescription pads from Xerox (UK) Ltd must be ordered using the Xerox (UK) Ltd ordering procedure.
If the ISHP does not supply information to us in a timely manner, prescription costs may be attributed to an incorrect organisation.
NMP Locums
If a practice only uses paper prescriptions, NMP locums should use the prescriptions of a similarly qualified NMP. The signature on the form can be used to identify the locum who has signed it.
If a practice utilises EPS and has locum NMPs on an ad hoc basis, those NMPs should always be registered even if they are only working at the practice for a short time. This is because the prescriptions could be processed incorrectly if a different prescriber's details are used on the EPS system.
Invoicing details form
Independent Sector HealthCare Providers (ISHPs) are recharged by us on a monthly basis for the prescribing costs (reimbursement) and dispensing fees (remuneration) of the cost centres they're responsible for. Multiple cost centre charges are combined in one invoice.
Complete the invoicing details form (Excel: 51KB) regarding the invoicing of these charges and return to accountsreceivable@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.
Contact us
For further information, contact us by:
Telephone: 0191 203 5112
Email: prescriptioninformation@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
Business hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.
Festive period opening hours
Our opening hours over the festive period are as follows:
- Tuesday 24 December 8am to 4pm
- Wednesday 25 December - Closed
- Thursday 26 December - Closed
- Friday 27 December - Closed
- Saturday 28 December - Closed
- Sunday 29 December - Closed
- Monday 30 December 8am to 4pm
- Tuesday 31 December 8am to 4pm
- Wednesday 1 January - Closed
Normal business hours will resume from 2 January 2025.
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